1. Truman Doctrine of Containment- In 1947, President Truman Doctrine of containment was announced. Due to the domino theory, the United States did not want any other countries falling to communism. This doctrine stated that the U.S. would give economic and military aid to any country under the threat of communist rule. This led the U.S. to become involved in several conflicts such as the Vietnam and Korean Conflicts.
2. Berlin Blockade and Airlift- The Berlin Blockade was the USSR's attempt to thwart supplies from getting to the people inside Berlin and being able to fight back. In response, the U.S. did not begin military intervention in hopes of avoiding a war. Instead, the followed the Marshall Plan which gave only economic aid through airlifts of supplies to Berlin. This bought time to try and work out an agreement with less loss of life and without starting a war with the Soviet Union.
3. Beginning of the Korean War- The Korean War is significant because it is another example of how we got involved when there was a chance of communism spreading. Though we fought to keep the northern part of Korea at bay, we had to pull out with only a stalemate and not a decisive victory. This war led the U.S. to become much more wary of entering other conflicts because of its limited success.
4. Brown v. Board of Education- In a case about the constitutionality of the segregation of schools, Brown v. Board of Education ruled unanimously that segregation was inherently unequal and overturned the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. This is a landmark case that revolutionized the Civil Rights Movement and gave the movement the momentum it needed to continue and give even more rights to african americans.
5. Creation of the Warsaw Pact- In response to the creation of the North Atlantic Free Trade Organization (NATO), the Soviet Union and other communist nations entered the Warsaw Pact (much dominated by the USSR). This meant that each nation would help defend each other from outside forces such as the United States. This made a World War much more likely if other conflicts over communism were to occur.
6. Cuban Missile Crisis- The Cuban Missile Crisis is when tension really came to a head between the Soviets and Americans. Several events led up to the crisis including the U2 Spy Plane Incident. The crisis occurred when Fidel Castro, who didn't like the U.S. due to the Bay of PIgs invasion, allowed the USSR to store nuclear missiles in Cuba extremely close to American Soil. The crisis lasted thirteen days and ended when Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles if the U.S. didn't invade. It led to the establishment of a hotline for direct communication between Russia and the U.S.
7. Civil Rights Act Passed- This act was influential in the Civil Rights movement because it outlawed segregation in public places due to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was caused by many of the movements and groups during the civil rights movement lobbying for this kind of legislation. Though it was initially weakly enforced, greater powers of enforcement were instituted in the coming years.
8. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- After the Gulf of Tonkin incident in Vietnam, this resolution gave johnson and future presidents the powers to deploy troops if needed for up to sixty days without congress' approval. This greatly expanded the power of the presidency because they now no longer needed a war declaration to deploy troops in a conflict and could act much more quickly. It allowed him to take any measure he thought appropriate to promote peace.
9. Founding of the American Indian Movement- This group, also known as AIM, was very influential because it was the first advocacy group to represent native americans. It helped with treaty discussions and attempts to keep tribes sovereign, as well as helped protest instances of police brutality and mistreatment. It also tried to help expose the horrible conditions on many reservations and led to the increased funding of Native Americans and the first casinos being opened up on reservations.
10. Watergate and Nixon's Resignation- This event was caused by a scandal involving break-ins at the Democratic National Committee's offices prior to Nixon's re-election. It came out that Nixon was involved in the cover up of these break-ins in what is now known as the Watergate Scandal. Nixon resigned before he was impeached and was later pardoned by president Ford but this scandal tainted the presidency and left many Americans with distrust for the government and especially the executive.
11. Camp David Accords- The Camp David Accords were signed between Israel and Egypt in an agreement that was largely sponsored by the United States and President Jimmy Carter. This leans towards a shift in American foreign policy and shows that we can help mediate a conflict and that countries would listen to us to try and negotiate for peace. This was a stance that we had never taken before and is considered one of the greatest achievements of Carter's presidency.
2. Berlin Blockade and Airlift- The Berlin Blockade was the USSR's attempt to thwart supplies from getting to the people inside Berlin and being able to fight back. In response, the U.S. did not begin military intervention in hopes of avoiding a war. Instead, the followed the Marshall Plan which gave only economic aid through airlifts of supplies to Berlin. This bought time to try and work out an agreement with less loss of life and without starting a war with the Soviet Union.
3. Beginning of the Korean War- The Korean War is significant because it is another example of how we got involved when there was a chance of communism spreading. Though we fought to keep the northern part of Korea at bay, we had to pull out with only a stalemate and not a decisive victory. This war led the U.S. to become much more wary of entering other conflicts because of its limited success.
4. Brown v. Board of Education- In a case about the constitutionality of the segregation of schools, Brown v. Board of Education ruled unanimously that segregation was inherently unequal and overturned the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. This is a landmark case that revolutionized the Civil Rights Movement and gave the movement the momentum it needed to continue and give even more rights to african americans.
5. Creation of the Warsaw Pact- In response to the creation of the North Atlantic Free Trade Organization (NATO), the Soviet Union and other communist nations entered the Warsaw Pact (much dominated by the USSR). This meant that each nation would help defend each other from outside forces such as the United States. This made a World War much more likely if other conflicts over communism were to occur.
6. Cuban Missile Crisis- The Cuban Missile Crisis is when tension really came to a head between the Soviets and Americans. Several events led up to the crisis including the U2 Spy Plane Incident. The crisis occurred when Fidel Castro, who didn't like the U.S. due to the Bay of PIgs invasion, allowed the USSR to store nuclear missiles in Cuba extremely close to American Soil. The crisis lasted thirteen days and ended when Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles if the U.S. didn't invade. It led to the establishment of a hotline for direct communication between Russia and the U.S.
7. Civil Rights Act Passed- This act was influential in the Civil Rights movement because it outlawed segregation in public places due to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was caused by many of the movements and groups during the civil rights movement lobbying for this kind of legislation. Though it was initially weakly enforced, greater powers of enforcement were instituted in the coming years.
8. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- After the Gulf of Tonkin incident in Vietnam, this resolution gave johnson and future presidents the powers to deploy troops if needed for up to sixty days without congress' approval. This greatly expanded the power of the presidency because they now no longer needed a war declaration to deploy troops in a conflict and could act much more quickly. It allowed him to take any measure he thought appropriate to promote peace.
9. Founding of the American Indian Movement- This group, also known as AIM, was very influential because it was the first advocacy group to represent native americans. It helped with treaty discussions and attempts to keep tribes sovereign, as well as helped protest instances of police brutality and mistreatment. It also tried to help expose the horrible conditions on many reservations and led to the increased funding of Native Americans and the first casinos being opened up on reservations.
10. Watergate and Nixon's Resignation- This event was caused by a scandal involving break-ins at the Democratic National Committee's offices prior to Nixon's re-election. It came out that Nixon was involved in the cover up of these break-ins in what is now known as the Watergate Scandal. Nixon resigned before he was impeached and was later pardoned by president Ford but this scandal tainted the presidency and left many Americans with distrust for the government and especially the executive.
11. Camp David Accords- The Camp David Accords were signed between Israel and Egypt in an agreement that was largely sponsored by the United States and President Jimmy Carter. This leans towards a shift in American foreign policy and shows that we can help mediate a conflict and that countries would listen to us to try and negotiate for peace. This was a stance that we had never taken before and is considered one of the greatest achievements of Carter's presidency.